Auction 333-341 Europe & Overseas - Day 5

British Post Office in Beirut 1874 (Dec 3): Combination letter sheet from Beirut to Lyon bearing Great Britain 1858/69 2 d. blue pl. 14 tied by ‘G06’ obliterator with “BRITISH POST OFFICE / BEYROUT” cds in black alongside (Dec 3) paying single rate to Alexandria. In addition, France Cérès 1872 80 c. rose in a horizontal pair was added, tied by Gros Chiffres ‘5080’ numeral in black. "ALEXANDRIE / EGYPTE" datestamp in black (Dec 7) and framed "PD" in red adjacent. Reverse with "MARSEILLE - LYON SPECIAL" transit and LYON arrival cds's. A attractive combination cover. 

Note: A British postal agency was opened in Beirut on 20 March 1873 and the ‘G06’ obliterator used there. Combination frankings with French or Italian adhesives occur as mail to France or Italy, respectively went via the British packet to Alexandria and then by either French or Italian packets to Europe. One has to assume that the French adhesives had been added to the letter already in Beirut. In his 2000 census, Alexander Kaczmarczyk noted 32 covers with combination frankings of Great Britain and France between September 1873 and October 1876.
Provenance: Collection Grant Glasco, Robson Lowe Auction (Nov. 1969), lot 1232; collection Windsor, H.R. Harmer's, New York (Nov 1983), lot 838.